Republican candidates to be US House Speaker

The Republican party is still looking for a candidate to be the US House Speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted and Jim Jordan failed to get enough votes.

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There are nine candidates who have registered to run for the position and will present their pitches at a closed-door forum on Monday evening¹.

Here are some brief profiles of the candidates:

Tom Emmer of Minnesota: He is the current House Majority Whip and the former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. He voted to certify the 2020 election results, which may alienate some Trump supporters. He has been endorsed by McCarthy² ³.
Kevin Hern of Oklahoma: He is a former aerospace engineer, businessman and owner of several McDonald’s franchises. He is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus. He has touted his leadership and business skills as assets for the speaker role³.
Austin Scott of Georgia: He is a former state legislator and businessman who has served in the House since 2010. He challenged Jordan in the previous speaker vote and won 81 votes. He is seen as a pragmatic conservative who can work across the aisle³.
Mike Johnson of Louisiana: He is the vice-chairman of the Republican conference and a former constitutional lawyer. He helped organize efforts to object to the 2020 election results and signed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to throw out electoral votes from key swing states ².
Gary Palmer of Alabama: He is the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and a former think tank president. He is a staunch conservative who has opposed abortion, immigration, gun control and environmental regulations. He also objected to the 2020 election results ³.
Liz Cheney of Wyoming: She is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and a vocal critic of Trump. She was removed from her leadership position as the chair of the House Republican Conference in May for denouncing Trump’s false claims of election fraud. She is one of two candidates who voted to impeach Trump after the 6 January Capitol riot².
Chip Roy of Texas: He is a former federal prosecutor and chief of staff to Senator Ted Cruz. He is a member of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus and a staunch ally of Jordan. He also voted to certify the 2020 election results, but has been critical of Biden’s policies on immigration, health care and spending².
Dusty Johnson of South Dakota: He is a former state legislator and public utilities commissioner who has served in the House since 2018. He is a moderate Republican who voted to certify the 2020 election results and opposed Trump’s impeachment. He has focused on issues such as rural development, agriculture and energy².
Dan Crenshaw of Texas: He is a former Navy SEAL who lost his right eye in Afghanistan. He has served in the House since 2018 and has gained popularity among young conservatives for his appearances on podcasts and social media. He voted to certify the 2020 election results, but has also defended Trump on some issues such as foreign policy and border security².